Goals

Type of Heroes

For hearts long lost and full of fright, For those alone in blackest night, Accept our ring and join our fight, Love conquers all-- with violet light!

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~ Star Sapphire Corps creed

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You have great love in your heart. Welcome to the Star Sapphires.

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~ A Star Sapphire Power Ring greeting its user.

The Star Sapphire Corps(Also Called: Violet Lanterns Corps), is one of the factions of the emotional spectrum and heroes during the Blackest Night event and most recent comics. Though originally a neutral organization, the Star Sapphires have evolved into a more heroic group during most recent comics. The Star Sapphires are one of the seven Corps empowered by a specific color of the emotional spectrum within the DC Universe. Though their roots can be traced back to the earliest appearances of the Star Sapphire queens, they have entered into a significant plot role as part of the 2009–2010 Blackest Night crossover event. First formed by the Zamarons at the conclusion of the Mystery of the Star Sapphire storyline running in Green Lantern vol. 4, issues #18–20 (May–July 2007), their abilities come from violet power rings which wield the power of love.

Contents

Group History

The Star Sapphires are first mentioned in the context of a group during a conversation between Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan immediately after Ferris has just recovered from having been possessed by the Star Sapphire stone during Mystery of the Star Sapphire. Ferris explains that while under the possession of the stone, she learned a number of things about its history and capabilities. She says that it told her that billions of years ago, when the Guardians of the Universe decided to form the Green Lantern Corps, a tribe of women left Oa because they did not agree with the Guardians' belief in living a life without emotion. They said they would continue on their own existence living with emotions, starting with love. They searched the universe for billions of years for the thing the Guardians feared, and eventually found it on a planet called Zamaron. They learned of love from the first Star Sapphire gem, which was discovered locked between the embrace of two crystallized skeletons inside a cave. She explains to him that despite the fact that he had been able to defeat the various incarnations of the Star Sapphire he'd encountered up until then, other Green Lanterns had not been as fortunate. She describes another Star Sapphire falling in love with a Green Lantern and encasing his world in violet crystal so that the two could be together forever. She also mentions that the Star Sapphire gem is like the green power rings used by Green Lanterns and the yellow power rings used by Sinestro Corps members.

After this exchange, Jillian "Cowgirl" Pearlman (being possessed by the Star Sapphire) attacks the two. Jordan uses his ring to grant Ferris enhanced abilities needed to help fight Cowgirl. The two fight with the Star Sapphire and she is defeated by their combined efforts. An energy vortex opens in the room and a voice is shown as saying that "a new Corps is rising and so must ours." Four Zamarons step out of the portal, and one announces that both Cowgirl and Ferris will become the first two members of their Corps. Jordan tells Ferris to attempt to remove the Star Sapphire from Cowgirl while he confronts the Zamarons. Though she is able to do so, the stone immobilizes the two Earth women while the Zamarons gain the upper hand over Jordan. The stone asks Jordan which of the two women he desires most, and that the woman he chooses will be able to be with him forever. In response, Jordan kisses one of the Zamarons, convincing the stone to release its hostages (Cowgirl and Carol Ferris), and possess her instead. The stone reacts with its new host violently, prompting the Zamarons to retreat with her to their home planet to remove the star from their ally and discuss the gem's future.
At the end of the final issue in the storyline, the Zamarons are shown to have removed the Star Sapphire from their sister-in-arms at the cost of her life. The Zamarons agree that Jordan was right in showing how the Star Sapphire's power is too overwhelming to one host. The farther from the center of the emotional spectrum, the greater the influence a powered light has over its bearer (a plot element which would again become significant at the opposite end of the spectrum with the Red Lanterns). The Zamarons claim they could rectify the problem by taking a page from the Book of Oa. They are shown transforming the Star Sapphire into a
violet power ring which they place on a pedestal along with a violet power battery. In discussion, they also describe how they'd been focused on love so long that they were almost like the emotionless Guardians. Depicted in the same room as the violet ring and battery, are a green and yellow set of powers rings and power batteries. Upon revealing this to the reader, the Zamarons comment that they "must collect them all."

Sins of the Star Sapphire

Sins of the Star Sapphire, running in Green Lantern Corps vol. 2, issues #29–32 (December 2008 – March 2009), is the story arc in which the formation of the Star Sapphires is shown. It both introduces important members of the new corps and reveals distinguishing features which set them apart from their peers. At the beginning of the arc, the Zamarons have crafted their own main power battery. Inside of their main battery are the crystallized "Adam and Eve" skeletons and Star Sapphire gem found when they first arrived on Zamaron. While experimenting with their new means of controlling the violet light of love, the Zamarons (perhaps intentionally) attracted the attention of the Guardians on Oa. Perceiving their visible power fluctuations as a threat, Guardian Scar decides to act on the display rather than wait and "hope for the best." In response, she requests a diplomatic audience with Zamaron's Queen Aga'po. Two other Guardians accompany her, while Lanterns Guy Gardner, Arisia, and Sodam Yat serve as escorts. While on Zamaron, the delegates from Oa find that the Zamarons are in possession of a number of yellow power rings that were left unclaimed after the Sinestro Corps War plotline. The rings are shown being drained of their power (which Arisia interprets as a deliberate display of how the same could be done to green power rings). More importantly, the delegates also discover that a number of female Sinestro Corps members have also been collected after the war and are imprisoned in violet crystals.
Queen Aga'po explains that the women imprisoned in the crystals (Fatality, Karu-Sil, and Kiriazis are specifically named, though other filled crystals are shown in Green Lantern vol. 4 #36) are being rehabilitated. The yellow light of fear is being drained from their rings and replaced with the violet light of love. Queen Aga'po also claims that violet light is filling an emptiness in their hearts and replacing their capacity for creating fear. The delegate meeting ends poorly for the Oans, as the Zamarons refuse to stop their pursuit of the violet light. Perhaps in response, the Guardians unanimously vote that love between Green Lanterns is forbidden within the Corps.
A sub plot is also shown to the reader in Sins of the Star Sapphire which introduces a key member of the new Corps. In the secondary story, Mongul frees himself of Mother Mercy's vines after being imprisoned in Green Lantern Corps vol. 2, issue #26 (September 2008). Ravenous after his imprisonment, he destroys a space craft belonging to newlyweds Kered and Miri Riam (on their way to their honeymoon) in order to ransack it for food. Kered approaches Mongul to ask him to spare their jet packs and enough food for them to find help. In response, Mongul cracks the face plate of Kered's pressure suit, killing him. After Mongul leaves, Miri drifts in space alone for two days before deciding to kill herself out of grief. Before she is able to complete her suicide, a violet power ring finds her and offers to fill the hole in her heart with violet light. Miri accepts and becomes the first new recruit to the Star Sapphires. Miri quickly finds herself fighting for love as she assists a group of Green Lanterns attempting to apprehend Sinestro Corps member: Kryb. Through their temporary partnership they are able to defeat the yellow
ring wielder. Though an argument ensues between Miri and Kyle Rayner (one of the Green Lanterns involved in the incident) over whether Kryb should be sent to Oa or Zamaron for detainment, it's agreed that Miri will escort Kryb back to Zamaron for reconditioning and re-education.

Blackest Night

In the issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps serving as preludes to the Blackest Night event, the Star Sapphires continue to make preparations for the predicted conflict. After undergoing treatment within a violet conversion crystal, Fatality emerges as a newly transformed Star
Sapphire. Her first thoughts upon being released are to seek out John Stewart (a Green Lantern she'd been trying to kill for causing the destruction of her home planet). Upon finding him, however, she saves him from Agent Orange's attacking Orange Lantern constructs, demonstrating that they are unable to absorb constructs made from violet light. She admits that revenge is no longer her goal, and that she has other plans. In the following issue, she reveals that she's attracted to Stewart, may have always been, and the Star Sapphire has given her the ability to finally absolve herself of her survivor's guilt. After Fatality's successful conversion, Miri and Queen Aga'po observe that Kryb appears to be crying inside of her crystal (seemingly distraught over being separated from the children she kept imprisoned on her back). Queen Aga'po remarks that it is a sign the treatment is working.
Carol Ferris once again gains the attention of the Zamarons as well. After a divorce and giving up the chance at being with Hal Jordan, he is no longer in her life and a hole in her heart has formed. While flying his former plane, the Zamarons send her one of their new violet power rings to fill it. Ferris' reunion with the violet light is not fully shown until Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2 (July 2009). In Tales of the Star Sapphires: Lost Love, Ferris initially expects to be possessed by her violet power ring as had been the case with the Star Sapphire gem. The ring explains to her that the Zamarons have changed service to the Star Sapphires: it must be voluntary and now extends to an entire violet Corps. The ring reveals that Ferris has the potential of becoming the most powerful Star Sapphire, and also has the ability of leading the Star Sapphires into war alongside the Green Lantern Corps. At the end of the story, the power ring keeps its word and does not recruit Ferris until she gives it permission. She is, however, manipulated by being told that her love (Hal Jordan) may die depending upon the outcome of the War of Light. By joining the Star Sapphires, Ferris may be able to prevent that from happening.

After his run-in with the Red Lanterns and Blue Lantern Corps during the Rage of the Red Lanterns plotline, Sinestro's attention turns from Oa to Zamaron. Before attempting to defeat a splinter cell of yellow ring wielders led by Mongul, he decides it's necessary to rescue the captured members of his Corps that are being converted into Star Sapphires. Glimpses of a planned Sinestro Corps attack are first shown coming to fruition in Blackest Night #1 (July 2009). Carol Ferris is depicted confronting the Sinestro Corps robot, Tekik, as conflict between the two Corps rages in the background.

The passage taken from The Book of the Black at the end of Blackest Night #2 states that love will be the first emotion to fall in the Black Lantern Corps' crusade against the colored lights.

Green Lantern vol. 4 #45 and 46 depicts the battle between the Sinestro Corps and the Star Sapphires. During the conflict, the conversion crystals are compromised and the Sinestro Corps members inside are released. Kryb immediately abandons the battle to see to her children; she is followed by Sapphire Miri Riam and the two eventually reach Kryb's planet to find her children are gone. Kryb begs Miri to help her find her children promising to return to Zamaron of her own free will if Miri helps her. Miri senses that Kryb's love for her children is genuine and, despite the fact that Miri is repulsed by Kryb, agrees to help her. Back on Zamaron the battle takes an unexpected turn when deceased Sinestro Corps members resurrected as Black Lantern arrive. Carol Ferris and Sinestro are forced to work together until Hal Jordan and the Indigo Tribe arrive. The battle rages on until two black
rings head for the violet Central Power Battery, bonding to the two crystallized lovers inside (who are Prince Khufu and his consort Chay-ara; the original forms of Hawkman and Hawkgirl). The two are transformed into Black Lanterns and their escape causes the battery to explode, causing widespread devastation to the planet and freeing the Predator. The damage is so great that the Sapphires are forced to abandon the planet to the Black Lanterns, fulfilling the Book of the Black's prophecy. Carol joins with Hal, Sinestro, and Indigo-1 to face Mongul on Korugar. The loss of the Central Power Battery does not appear to have affected Carol's powers.

Carol travels with the rest of the group to Okaara to recruit Larfleeze and Atrocitus. Then they head to Ryut to determine the status of the Black Central Power Battery. Finding that it has been moved, they head to Earth with the intention of destroying the battery with the combined white light of creation. Ultimately though, the white light they produce fails to destroy the battery, and appears to feed Nekron's power.

When Ganthet duplicates the seven colored rings to deputize partners for each of the bearers, the violet ring chooses Wonder Woman as Carol's partner, deciding that no one else has more love for the planet Earth. Wonder Woman was under the control of a black ring (from being one of numerous resurrected superheroes), but she and the violet ring's power are enough to break the black ring's hold, turning Wonder Woman into a Star Sapphire.

Brightest Day

In the aftermath of the Blackest Night, the Zamarons rebuilt the Central Power Battery and Queen Aga'po began using her life-force to power the battery until they could capture the Predator and reseal the entity into the Violet Power Battery in order to recharge it.
For that mission the Zamarons contacted Carol Ferris on Earth, and reveal to her that the Predator was on the planet. While searching for the violet emotional entity, Carol travels to Las Vegas where she locates the Predator, now inhabiting the body of a man who is infatuated with a woman who does not even know who he is, and defeats it alongside Larfleeze and Hal who also had come searching for the love entity. The three then take the Predator back to Zamaron, however when Carol discovers the intentions of the Zamarons, she argues that the Guardians' technology that the Zamarons-based the battery on can be powered by the ambient love in the universe and refused to deliver the Predator. Upon hearing Carol's words, the Zamaron Queen Aga'po used the last of her life force to charge the Central Power Battery, leaving her title of Queen of the Star Sapphires to Carol.

Not much later, Zamaron is invaded by Queen Shriek of Hawkworld and her Hawk-Men. Carol and the Predator with the help from Hawkman and Hawkgirl tried to stop the Queen from taking the power of the Battery for herself, until the Predator bonded with the Queen. The Hawks eventually separate the Queen from the entity, as the skeletons from the Hawks past incarnations come alive due to the power of the Violet Battery and take Queen Shriek to the inside of the battery where she's sealed away with all the skeletons.